


Day 27: Road Rage

by GemmaRose



Series: Lost Light Fest 2019 [16]
Category: Transformers (IDW 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Amica Endurae, Gen, Murder, Transformers Spark Bonds, privateers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-02 18:43:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21166253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemmaRose/pseuds/GemmaRose
Summary: When she was hired by House Praestigo to be the attendant and personal guard of the newest member-by-bonding, Nautica, the mech who wrote up Road Rage's contract made a mistake. They had her sign her loyalty not to the House, but to her charge. As such, what Nautica wants, Nautica gets, and damn any member of the House who stands between her and her spark's desire.





	Day 27: Road Rage

“It’s yours.” Road rage said, holding out the tablet with the Mistress of Flame’s signature engraved on it, declaring the head of House Praestigo a fully legal privateer in the optics of Caminus.

“Oh sweet Solus, _thank you_.” Nautica threw her arms around her, and Road Rage returned the embrace. Her fingers landed on a dent Nautica hadn’t been able to buff out yet, and any remaining guilt she felt vanished like it had never been there. “I was so worried when I didn’t feel it, I thought...”

“Well, _technically_ his spark’s not out yet.” Road Rage admitted, and Nautica pulled away with a field shock-cold. “But it will be by morning.” she assured her friend. “And any autopsy should find that it was just an undetected rust infection. I made sure not to leave anything incriminating.”

“Good.” Nautica took the datapad from Road Rage’s hand and held it tight to her chassis.

“So, what now?” Road Rage asked as Nautica backed up to sit on the edge of her berth.

“We leave as soon as possible.” she said, tracing the engravings in the sturdy metal, the gilded designs around the edges. “You can gather a crew while I handle the funeral arrangements. Nobody will question your absence if I say I wanted to be alone in my grief.”

“Grief.” Road Rage rolled her optics, something in her chassis loosening slightly as she moved to sit next to Nautica. “The only reason anyone will be sad about that slagheap being offline is because he won’t be paying them off anymore.”

“You know how high society is.” Nautca sighed, setting aside the Letter of Marque. “Everyone will talk about how generous and upstanding he was, regardless of the truth, and I’ll have to sit there in mourning greys and play the part of the devastated conjunx.”

“Well, the broken sparkbond ought to make that part easy enough to fake.” Road Rage grinned, and Nautica turned to smile up at her.

“And what if I asked you to form a new bond with me, so it doesn’t hurt as much?”

Road Rage’s vents and processor stalled, hanging on Nautica’s words as she struggled to process them. “You want to-”

“An amica bond, of course.” Nautica giggled, and Road Rage wheezed as her vents kicked back online.

“Lead with that, next time.” she scolded, and Nautica grinned at her, unrepentant. Not that she would’ve asked to have her any other way.

“But if I did ask you to make it official, being my amica... would you?” Nautica’s smile trembled at the edges, but only slightly. Road rage shuttered her optics, cycled a deep vent to steady herself, and reached out to take Nautica’s hands in her own.

“It would be my honour, Nautica Praestigo of Middle Exeplume.”

“I’ve never had an amica before.” Nautica admitted, fingers curling into the spaces between Road Rage’s. “I hope I’m not a disappointment of one.”

“Nonsense, you’ve had me for meta-cycles.” Road Rage grinned. “And you’ve been _wonderful_.”

“Flatterer.” Nautica grinned, but her field flushed with pride.

“It’s the truth.” Road Rage squeezed Nautica’s hands and leaned in to press a kiss to her forehelm. “You’ll make a brilliant captain, I just know it.”

“Only because I’ll have you as my first mate.” Nautical demured, and Road Rage cycled her audials.

“Your what?”

“First mate. On the ship?” Nautica looked at her, field flickering with confusion. “You don’t get seasick, I hope.”

“Not at all.” she shook her helm, setting her and Nautica’s joined hands on their legs. “Just, wouldn’t you rather have someone _experienced_ to help you run the ship?”

“I’d rather have someone I can trust.” Nautica traced the glyph with her thumb on the side of Road Rage’s hand. “Privateers aren’t much different from pirates, and I’ll be a new captain with a crew that don’t know me. I’ll recharge better aboard, knowing you have my back.”

“Nautica...” Road Rage began, but none of the words queued up in her vocaliser were enough to describe what this meant to her. How seriously she would take this new responsibility. So instead she released Nautica’s hands and pulled her friend, her _amica_ into a crushing hug. Nautica squeaked, but was quick to raise her arms and return the embrace, shifting only to settle their frames more comfortably together.

“I knew you’d say yes.” she murmured, and Road Rage nuzzled at the top of her helm.

“How could I say no after a speech like that?” she asked, and Nautica giggled.

“You’ll have the crew fueling from the palm of your hand by the end of the deca-cycle, talking like that.” she swore, and Nautica laughed in earnest, only to cut short with a sharp gasp and a wince. “Are you alright?” Road Rage asked quickly, pulling away and grasping Nautica’s shoulders.

“I think that was the bond breaking.” Nautica grimaced, pressing a hand to her chassis. “Go check on him. Call the hospital.”

“I will.” Road Rage promised, and pulled Nautica in for another hug. Soon the whirlwind of funeral activity would begin, and she would have to figure out how to hire a whole crew of sailors and stock a ship for a voyage. But tonight, she could keep her amica company as she performed grief for the mech who’d all but physically forced her to bond with him.

And after that... the open sea awaited them, full of all the freedom and adventure a mech could ask for.


End file.
